I love Shanghai Bok Choy tips or Shanghai Tips for short. They’re different from the Baby Bok Choy. Whereas a Baby Bok Choy leaf’s center is completely white, a Shanghai Bok Choy Tip leaf’s center transitions subtly from light green to white. Shanghai tips are a miniature version of Shanghai Bok Choy. However, I find the Shanghai tips to be more tender and tastier when stir-fried. Most Asian grocery stores sell Shanghai tips. Shanghai tips is a versatile vegetable. Sometimes I’ll even add it to my Kimchi Fish Stew. Here I show you how I typically make it particularly when it’s dinner crunch time.
What You’ll Need:
Shanghai Bok Choy Tips
Salt
Black Pepper
- Separate the Shanghai tips into individual leaves. Wash the Shanghai tips well. Be careful as sometimes sand can accumulate between each leaf. You can definitely eat the hearts of the Shanghai tips. In fact, the hearts of the Shanghai tips are particularly tender. Just make sure you cut off the woody stem from the hearts. The woody stem is not so fun to chew.
- Heat up the pot. Wait for the oil to warm up slightly, then toss in the leaves. Traditionally, in Chinese cooking, one should wait for the wok oil to get super-heated before starting to cook the Shanghai tips. However, I find that this latter approach produces too much oily smoke in the house.
- Stir and turn the leaves around. When the green tips start to wilt, add salt and black pepper. Continue turning the leaves. Once the Shanghai tips are evenly covered in oil, salt, and pepper; just let the mixture sit in the pot. Let it cook on medium-high for a few more minutes. Once the white center is somewhat soft, the dish is done. Don’t let the white center get too soft otherwise the vegetable will be limp.